A gift from a customer - The story of a Blueberry :)

There once lived a blueberry. From the beginning she was in the forest. It was sunny and warm in the shade of the trees, and she felt very free and cozy there, it wasn't boring and Blueberry felt very good there. But it happened because the place was sprayed with a chemical. And the leaves of the bushes turned yellow and many berries from the blueberry bush withered. Then the blueberry pickers came and picked many blueberries to take with them. This completely confused the little blueberry. She was torn from her cozy little life and everything that seemed so stable suddenly turned out to be volatile. The small juicy blueberry became dull, her taste tasteless. The sunny weather ended and the rain began, winds, it was autumn. The survival time of the little blueberry has begun. She gritted her teeth and endured being alone on a branch of a bush. She tried to communicate with other living blueberries and a branch of the same bush. As the wind blew, she approached the others. They talked for a bit and then the wind returned to rest him. Sometimes other blueberries also rested with her.

The little blueberry then got very worried and tried to do something, but never really succeeded in keeping the other blueberries in her presence any longer. Then one day the blueberry became very sad and sad. She broke away from the blueberry bush and walked alone along the mossy path somewhere. It turned out that walking around is much more interesting than hanging on a dead bush. It turns out the forest was full of other creatures. There were lingonberries. They were undoubtedly nice berries, even like blueberries, but they had a thicker skin and were also used to living in greater solitude. The little blueberry wanted to be like those lingonberries. She even lived in their presence for a while, tried very hard to imitate their lifestyle, their ability to live calmly and boringly and be happy about it. the blueberry tried, but became terribly beautiful and unstable, the blueberry purred and said that the blueberry itself does not know what it wants. And the blueberry herself didn't know what she wanted either. However, she clearly understood what she did not want. That you don't want to hang in a withered blueberry bush and pretend to be a lingonberry. She set off again. She had a small backpack with a small blanket and pad.

Now the little blueberry was wearing red lingonberry panties and a little hat. She even felt brave. Only she was extremely serious and alone. She liked to go alone, she felt free and also saw a lot of places and creatures. For example, the big hedgehog, it was bearish, but wanted to keep him for its winter lunch. blueberry from his torment, and when she succeeded she felt very brave and capable. For a moment the sun shone and life seemed quite beautiful again. At night, in her dreams, she sometimes saw a dead bush and was frightened when she realized how difficult it was to hang there. Once she went so far that she reached the edge of the forest. There were people's houses in the forest. The little blueberry set up its house there for a while, because it was so bright there. She settled in the people's garden. Between carrots, beets, cabbage, strawberries. And she felt quite satisfied that she had settled in well. Because life in the garden was much more prosperous than in the forest among the mosses. There was also a lot of light there and they were watered. the blueberry decided to plant its roots there. Just how to do it. Because berries can't do that. She started acting like a very colossal berry and like she was a very exotic creature that had come from her super interesting life in the forest. Some vegetables thought it was purely interesting, that little blueberry tried to settle in the garden. But the next problems began, which the blueberry had not experienced in the forest.

In the garden, the vegetables were constantly evaluated. How big and juicy they are, those that have grown better were selected and seeds were taken from them, those that were worse, they were thrown out again or watered with all kinds of improving chemicals. Needless to say, the blueberry was very afraid of chemicals. Blueberry had never experienced this in the forest, everyone was allowed to be who they were and Little Blueberry had never felt that she was wrong there. Now in the garden he began to be very troubled by this question. the blueberry was smaller than any vegetable or garden berry. Juices could not be obtained from her. She also weighed tiny grams. In general, the blueberry felt very useless in the garden. But it was so safe there compared to her previous life that the blueberry tried hard. But no matter how hard she tried, she always fell behind in all indicators with other vegetables. Her whole life turned into trying to fit into the vegetable society. But she didn't really have much in common with those who had been together since seed time. She was also tiny, and maybe one of the most kind-hearted and compassionate vegetables paid attention to her. Well, it's for mercy.

The following changes also took place. blueberries were harvested for the winter and taken to the freezer. It was a good sign. blueberry was valued as necessary because of the vitamins obtained in her forest. The little blueberry even started giggling with pride at the new milestone, not to mention the super safe environment. Over time, the blueberry had even become quite lazy, it seemed to her that the main thing in life was to be fed and safe and to like some vegetable, to be friends with her. For this she tormented herself for days and nights. Her mind was occupied with what else to do to fit into this society. Went shopping on the shelves of the refrigerator, visiting beauty salons. She really hoped that with these things she would be able to become more like a vegetable. But no matter how hard she tried, no vegetable still appreciated her and every now and then made a remark that she was already such a forest blueberry. And she also heard many people talking about wild berries as if laughing, calling them uneducated and stupid, stools and the like. the blueberry started to feel ashamed of being a blueberry.

Her hands fell down, she became discouraged, disappointed in everything in her life. She did not know how to speak, how to dress, how to feel, how to live. And she began to withdraw from all vegetables. She began to be silent in the presence of others, she spoke little of her thoughts, she was very polite and humble, To be able to live in this world. She started watching a lot of movies, silently fantasizing all kinds of naive stories, reading magazines about others. She really liked delicious food. And once it was very difficult, she began to remember her life in the forest. The breeze that caressed her when she was little. She was trying to find out what was up with the other blueberries. Maybe there is one somewhere else? However, her bush was badly affected by the chemicals, but the blueberries on other bushes had their relatives' blueberries and they didn't really want to associate with the blueberry from the dead bush. Go find out if it's not dangerous yet.

It went on day after day. And the blueberry no longer knew what she herself wanted, nor what she could get from her life. The refrigerator seemed like a place where one should feel good and safe. Much better than in the Forest, where she walked alone or on the withered bush, where everything had power over her. And she could not hang herself on a foreign bush. A house, a garden, a refrigerator, but there was something big, substantial, stable, that had existed for a long time. There, so many knew what was necessary and what was right. The little blueberry only thought that she was guilty, that she had a bad character, that she was born stupid, naughty, bad, that therefore she could not understand it all, understand it, learn it, integrate it. Oh God, what a pain it was. She began to wonder how she had managed to come this far. From the forest to the house. No, she wouldn't be able to do something like that again. There were so many dangers. And maybe it could have been done differently, better, not so wild and lonely. You shouldn't have entered the garden so bravely. She thought she had done a great deal of harm by her boasting, and she was also very ashamed of her behavior at that time. How she bragged there, how she blurted out that she was dressed. And other berries had come so respectfully, straight from the forest. All of them respected, appreciated. They were not obtrusive, like the little blueberry, which had retreated from the forest by itself and boasted, even though in reality it was almost poisoned. It was pale and long ago half a lingonberry. And so it continued, climbed. she became ruder, her behavior was unpleasant, she always stressed what people thought of her, how she looked.

Mostly everyone already said that she looks angry, that she is someone who cannot be approached, that they are afraid of her, that they don't know what to expect from her. Others again suggested going to berry stylists, repainting, improving bad character, studying and writing about their bad deeds, turning to more interesting things, as the carrot from the fifth floor, or the blackcurrant from the sixth, or the strawberry from the third successfully did. blueberry admired the carrot from the fifth floor, the river and the strawberry. Blueberry woke up every morning thinking about what to do to make amends. Each time she looked in the mirror and concluded that there was no improvement and became sad and desperate. Nothing was good, she did not feel pleasant and calm anywhere. Everywhere she felt not as she should. She herself was thinking about it so much that she didn't notice anything else. Just worried and worried. Morning and evening, lunch and breakfast, shopping, cleaning the house, attending concerts, traveling to another refrigerator compartment.

The blueberry had grown. She wasn't little anymore. Therefore, more sacrifice was required from her than staying in the refrigerator. More diplomas, language skills. But somehow she was not interested in it. I had lost interest in living in a refrigerator. Life was depressing and very boring. None.

So the blueberry decided to go to her native forest and look for the meaning of life there. To be in the woods again. To smell the moss and how it is that the forest accepts her as she is, small black, without much juice. She was so happy to have found a way out. She became more lively and told others a lot about it. They were a little worried about her, and as far as they could understand, they thought that it had happened to the blueberry again, but she didn't care. She posed and prepared, but for some reason she put it off day after day. Now every morning she wakes up not with worries about herself, but with the thought of how she will go to her native forest. And how happy she will be and how she will prove to everyone that she is also valid. It gave her wings, but she did not go, but began to attend carrot courses. Work hard again and visit shops and beauty salons diligently. And everywhere she thought how she would go.

Time passed and the blueberry realized that something terrible had happened to her. She cannot keep her promises, that she has become lazy and just whines. How she didn't like that about herself. No, this time she will go. This time she will do it, she will not spend this holiday in front of the TV or in the store. She will do it. A long time passed, because sometimes boring activities prevailed and she did not go anywhere. Other vegetables now and then asked her about her journey, but when they realized that she was talking nonsense, they began to conclude that she was like that.

However, one day the blueberry began its journey to its native forest. She left her comfortable and safe compartment in the fridge, she left everything and said she didn't want to go back to the fridge, that she didn't like it there. She started her way to her native forest. She walked through the garden. The garden had by this time grown into a huge greenery and he was making a lot of money there. Blueberry scowled in displeasure. She didn't like everything here so much. She walked through the monotonous and monotonous garden and it seemed that it would never end. It had stretched to the very edge of the forest. And here was the edge of the forest where she had come many years ago. She went into the forest. But it was so polluted, littered with plastic bags and bottles. It certainly didn't look as good as it once did. But she consoled herself that she did not have to stay here, that she only had to pass through. And she walked, careful not to step into another pile of trash. She looked at the wild berries and moss.

They didn't look good. She walked and walked. And then she came to her native forest, where she had grown up, where the sun had shone on her, where the wind had caressed her. But... but her forest was no longer there. Her great strong forest was cut down. So peacefully killed, not a stump, a stick, or a moss was left behind. All around was only a dingy neighborhood of private houses with worn out plots of land, with large garbage cans and poor drainage. blueberry held her breath in great pain. Yes, she was saved from destruction, she was alive, but the best she could achieve was life in a refrigerator. It was such great pain for her forest, such great pity and sadness for her and such great hopelessness for herself. She sat down on a discarded can and cried so hard that it seemed as if all life would stop. But then it happened that a woman woke up. And she realized that it was all just a dream. A dream about a blueberry. She understood that there is no berry, that she does not have to live in the refrigerator, that other people are not vegetables.

She examined herself. She had two legs, two arms, stomach, chest, head, eyes, mouth, ears. Everything was so healthy, round, smooth, pink. Everything looked so good, every hand was moving and the arms were strong. She herself was flexible, strong and healthy. She thought about her dream. Yes, it had been about her life. About parents and aunts who fell seriously ill and died, about cousins ​​who scattered, about her own search and loneliness, boredom, depression. Yes, the beautiful garden in the place where she had helped her mother to work in the garden was destroyed and a private house stood in its place. And yet, that was not all. She had so many options as a human. The days were so sunny when she woke up. The sun was shining outside, and the whole beach was in yellow and orange tones. It had frozen overnight and all the grass and trees were covered with a white layer of frost.

The woman stood up and her feet hit the warm floor that caressed her feet so pleasantly. It was such a beautiful morning and the whole day seemed so bright and promising. She calmly took a bath, helped her children get ready for school, who were noisily running around the house, fooling around and arguing. She baked delicious cheese rolls and sat down at the table with a temptingly smelling cup of coffee. She was calmly sipping coffee, slowly nibbling on a bun, looking at the wonderful landscape through the window, and everything inside her was so calm and bright, as if she had absorbed the sunlight into herself. But then she got excited and decided to make a to-do list for the day. In her mind, she counted, she had to take the children to school, then to work, the list of small tasks to be done at work, to look at skirts for her daughter, new pants for her son in the store. Sign up the child to the doctor. Call your sister, ask how life is going, plant a flower in a flowerpot and take it to work. And still so. They were all very small tasks, but they filled her everyday life with so much activity and care that she could not imagine her life without them.

Sometimes she thought that she couldn't lead her life day after day, where the days are similar to each other, but every time she concluded that exactly such a routine makes her calm and unstressed. She was very careful with herself, knowing that she was fragile and that she was only a few steps away from feeling like little Mellene. And she was glad again that the dream was just a dream and that life is so nice. But this day was special. She sat in the car as usual in the morning and drove to work. As usual, turned on the radio and listened to the news about everything that was happening. And suddenly she felt the warmth entering the car, it surrounded her with a pleasant smell, the fact that it was unusual she understood from the hair that was blowing as if it was a sea breeze that appeared in her car. And then she saw an angel sitting next to her. It didn't have wings and it didn't have a round silly face like the figurines. However, she understood quite clearly and clearly, this is her angel. It was as familiar as any person on earth she had met in her life. It was so self-evident that she couldn't even understand how she hadn't understood before completely and without a doubt that an angel was next to her, watching, protecting and guiding her. to the angel, it was warm and warmth flowed into the woman and everything around changed and they rose somewhere away.

As seconds passed, it seemed that everything was falling off the woman and she thought that everything around her was breathing and happy. Then she realized that she was seeing her whole life from above. Small cars, small streets, small people. How they move and lit are the places where she lives and works. And then she realized how interesting it all seems from above, every event exciting, colorful like in a movie. That everything seems so simple and understandable from here and that everything is happening as it should. The woman understood that the angel was happy for her, for her joys, experiences, tears and laughter. Then the woman grew wings and flew. She remained alone, but the world around her seemed so familiar and beautiful, and in the distance there was thunder, it was a warm summer evening, and she saw musicians walking down the dirt road, they laughed and slowly played, a warm rain began to fall here and everything began to smell warm land. Then she heard sounds, muffled music coming from far away. The woman flew to that spot, a warm shower caressing her face as she flew. When she landed, it was a place, a beautiful green ball with lamps hanging around it and musicians playing Uccā-uca-ucā. The woman got down and went inside.

Everything fell silent when she entered and all the people happily waved at her to come in and join. A woman felt so welcome only in childhood and everything was as good here as in the Forest of a dream. People were sitting around her and everyone was wondering how she was doing on earth, how her husband was doing, how her children were doing. Do you listen to mom and dad? And how is her sister doing? They encouraged her to eat and drink and tell stories and not hide anything. He said not to raise the children too strictly, to pamper them, to buy sweets, to take care of their sister, that it is difficult for her to walk now, to pity her, not to get angry, and not to argue, but to be friendly. To learn and not be lazy, that she is smart, but smart people must learn and develop. So they talked and talked and the woman flourished, she was happy and laughed and told and asked about what was happening here. They danced, clapped their hands. And everyone wanted to be with him, joking and frolicking. They sang songs and played games and were all so good and friendly. Folk dances are performed, both Latvian, Irish and Greek, and so on all night long. Great tears of joy flowed when the woman met all her dear relatives and mother and father and saw that they were all doing well here. Slowly everything receded and receded and the woman was left with only a vivid feeling of everything that had happened.

Angel told her that they don't show up too much and rarely do, but he has felt how much she misses someone by her side, that she lacks the courage to do the things she likes and so he will give her Worm. And the woman wondered what it was, the angel gave her a small sprig of wormwood in her hands and said that it would become clear to her when she rubbed the sprigs with her fingers. The woman was sad to part with her angel, it was so good for her to be here next to the angel. But it wanted to get to the ground faster. Everything seemed so very interesting to her now. She landed on the ground and the whole world seemed to change, everything made sense, everything seemed interesting and she went to work.

But he forgot about the twig. He opened the door at work and like a gray mist enveloped him with the same tasks, the same thoughts and a confused woman's face when he entered, put on a smile and sat at the table without joy and did his work. But as he was reaching from one side to the other, the branch given by the angel rubbed and the wife appeared next to him, with wrinkles around her eyes and a cheerful look. Of course, the woman understood that it is crazy that such things happen at work, is it allowed and what will her colleagues think about her, but no one saw either the old man or the surprised face of the woman. But the old man looked at the woman and even though the look was kind and friendly, he began to mumble and purr, how will he be able to cope with such a delicate lady and where is the energetic girl about whom she was told, there sits one lady with a pale face, neither smiling nor happy, so getting annoyed and worrying about other people's opinions and counting other people's successes and running around the shops. Or, or what kind of work was given to her. But in the meantime, something is moving and being done, and the woman is starting to get attached to that activity and commitment, and she becomes fun and wants to work. Then the old lady happily says, she sees some pink young ones left, she can see how she can do it, if she wants to, and she was gone. And that's how the woman began such a special life, as her hands drop and she starts to become lazy, the old man thinks about the chores, says words and doesn't let the woman be lazy for long, she puts in the work and finds interest. But the woman gets used to the old man's drumming and will also argue something back, but the old man likes it very much.

She also praises the woman's husband and children and is happy that they have character and are not shy, but scolds the woman for not speaking her mind, for keeping many things to herself, for not showing that she has her head on her shoulder. Encourages to learn this and that and not to think too much about who needs it or not, that time should be filled with something useful, not thinking and looking at the air. Nešpetna, the old man scolds and scolds, he does not hide anything, he says what he thinks. And still, the woman is not afraid, but somehow strangely likes that she talks to him honestly. And the woman sees day by day that her courage grows, both to say what she thinks, and not to worry about what people think of her, to think about what to do, and to do things with more interest. And life doesn't seem so boring anymore, there's an adventure, there's a new friend to sit with in a cafe, here a woman starts to remember old friends, here to knit a scarf, here to take some courses, take exams. The woman begins to revive. But the old woman doesn't let you be lazy, she encourages you to do more and more.

Encourages to make friends, go on excursions, go to concerts. And there are times when he holds a woman's hand so that her courage increases when she gets scared, or he puts his hand on her and cheers her up. A woman stays safe around her heart and becomes more and more secure and satisfied. And then one day the old woman says that she has to leave, that she is fine with a woman, so she wants to go home. But she lives in the forests of the tundra, among real plants, which makes her strong. She also says that she will be with the woman in her thoughts and will always be able to hear her. And don't be ashamed to ask for advice and support, that life on earth is not easy, but you can deal with difficulties and even very well. And the old woman sees that the woman has a lot of power, but she doesn't know it herself. They said goodbye as great friends, hugged her and the woman thanked her for her great help. Then the old woman was gone. And the woman became sad, they had become such good friends. But then she felt that some part of the old woman's courage and joy had settled in her and that she could feel the bitter smell of wormwood around her. That woman got back on her feet and went on with her life. One day, the woman thought, what can make such an interesting thing. She thought and thought until she decided to bake a homemade honey cake. It was very tasty, not the kind you can buy in stores, but with a special taste and creaminess. Therefore, after completing all the work at work, she went home and baked a honey cake with the children. They mixed the batter and baked two plates of cake, the smell of the cake spread throughout the house and put everyone in a happy mood. When the cake was baked, the woman cut it in half again and put cream mixed with sugar into it. She added grated orange peels. And with great joy, put the honey cake in the refrigerator. When the cake was ready in the morning and the whole family sat down to taste the cake. The woman's children were surprised that the honey cake could taste different from store-bought ones. And then the woman took the cake to work and treated other people. Everyone said that they had never eaten such a delicious cake. And the woman felt very proud. Another day, the woman decided that she wanted to go on a trip to warm countries. She had wanted it for a long time, but this time she bought the plane tickets and in a month she was already on the beautiful, sunny beaches that she had only read about and looked at before, but now she was there. She stood on the shore of the ocean and enjoyed the wind blowing from the ocean. There was peace and joy all around. That's how the woman felt inside. And when she felt so good, she began to notice so many things outside. She began to notice what other people were doing, what they were doing.

It turned out to be very interesting. But she didn't do that because it was right, but because she was interested in it from the bottom of her heart. That's how she got to the friends she had longed for all her life.